having great difficulty removing immersion heater

stuartturrell · 17 Apr 2008

Hi everyone,

I am renovating a house at the moment, the immersion installed in the hot water tank needs replacing (i have one ready to go in). BUT, i cannot get the old bugger out.

I got the immersion spanner (that huge thing), i have also tried one of those devices that you use to take oil filters off with cars (again, no use).
Even got someone to have a go, no good, it's on there well and truly.

Any idea's how i can get the bugger off?

It looks like some kind of orange material has been applied to it and with it, looks like some kind of fibres also, alomost like glass fiber's.

Hope someone can help, i don't really want to get a new tank, this one is plumbed in nicely. (just with a very old 1600w immersion heater).
Many thanks

Stuart

waterworks · 17 Apr 2008

If you have the spanner type immersion spanner not the box type a good hard tap on the handle usually does the trick or heat.

WDIK · 17 Apr 2008

fill it with water to or it will rip, warm it with a blow torch loosen it, then drain it.

stuartturrell · 17 Apr 2008

waterworks said:
If you have the spanner type immersion spanner not the box type a good hard tap on the handle usually does the trick or heat.

I have tried this, but only seemed to bend the tank, so i stopped that.

I think i will conbine this idea with the filling it up, heat it, undo then drain idea which WDIK just mentioned.
Thanks for the fast response, i will have a go at it tomorrow.

seco services · 17 Apr 2008

once you have started to bend the tank you have weakened it.
so it may only come out by drilling then cutting it out.

andytheplumber · 17 Apr 2008

WD40 leave this on for a while And then get your spanner on the fitting and give it a little tap with the hammer. I have a great big heavy duty metal spanner so it supports it better. The cheap thin ones are rubbish

tonybhoy · 17 Apr 2008

I usually knock seven bells out of them using the box spanner's (Rothenberger) lever.

And if all else fails heat it till it's red hot then it should move.

kevplumb · 17 Apr 2008

be careful if and when you get it out

anybody had the boss go egg shaped on them

waterworks · 17 Apr 2008

Yeah it's like splitting a ball joint on a car if you know what your doing your not scared to hit it.

WDIK · 17 Apr 2008

kevplumb said:
be careful if and when you get it out

anybody had the boss go egg shaped on them

thats a good reason for outlawing boss bleeeding white efffing stuff

tonybhoy · 17 Apr 2008

WDIK said:
kevplumb said:

be careful if and when you get it out

anybody had the boss go egg shaped on them

Click to expand...

thats a good reason for outlawing boss bleeeding white efffing stuff

That's not Boss white he's on about it's Stagg which is a gas fitters' paste, or more correctly,a proper heating engineers paste.

Goes rock hard with heat mainly used for threaded pipe like MI or MS.

Murder to break the seal if it's been in for a few years.

Good stuff though.

WDIK · 17 Apr 2008

true about stag, why the hell anyone needs to use it with water but im sorry, particularlily with this joint why make it off with boss white which also sets solid?

stag forget it its there for eternity

slictite costs but its brilliant so is even foliac

DP · 18 Apr 2008

Following is if you are brave.

Using a hole saw, cut a hole near the thread but not into thread.
Using a saw blade, make two cuts 5mm apart making sure the thread stay intact but brass boss is weakened. Insert screwdriver in saw cut and break away the section between the cuts. Using the box spanner, unsrew the heater.

Having tried all else, above got me out of the tricky situation.

hut27 · 7 Apr 2009

Hi, In near 50yrs, I only had to drill one out and that was Recessed in Hardboard and slab of Insulation. The answer is to use 2 Hammers one on either side of Heater and give it a good thrashing , Dont even try and undo it First. Then using a Pair of 24s It'll come out never Fails. Ged. PS, Reinstall new one with PTFE tape on thread and a smear of Boss White on Washer.

gas_man_gaz · 7 Apr 2009

hammer, chisel and a good wack! always works

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having great difficulty removing immersion heater

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